Jurors in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy entered their fifth day of deliberations on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, after reporting a deadlock to the court on Tuesday. Judge William F. Sullivan instructed the 12 jurors to continue their efforts to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the 2023 strangulation deaths of her three children.
Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, does not deny the killings but has mounted a defense based on postpartum psychosis. Her attorneys argue she lacked criminal responsibility due to her mental state following childbirth, noting she had previously sought help at a psychiatric hospital. Prosecutors contend that Clancy was aware of her actions and should be held criminally liable for the deaths.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Judge Sullivan addressed an incident involving alleged jury intimidation that occurred after court adjourned, which resulted in the arrest of 56-year-old Dawn Light. The judge questioned the 12 jurors and six alternates individually to determine if a mistrial was necessary before allowing deliberations to resume. After the jury indicated for a second time that they could not reach a decision, the judge issued the Tuey-Rodriguez charge, a legal instruction used in Massachusetts to encourage deadlocked jurors to reconsider their positions.
For the state of Massachusetts, a mistrial would require the District Attorney’s office to decide whether to retry the case. Such cases involve significant costs, particularly due to the reliance on expert witnesses. Prosecutors also have the option to offer a plea deal to avoid a new trial or, in less likely circumstances, to decline to retry the case entirely.
A mistrial would return the case to its pre-trial status, requiring a new jury selection process if a retrial is pursued. This follows the precedent of the 2024 Karen Read trial in Massachusetts, where a deadlock led to a mistrial and a subsequent retrial that resulted in an acquittal. While the jury continues to deliberate, the judge is permitted under Massachusetts law to issue the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction twice before a mistrial becomes the mandatory outcome. No specific deadline for a final decision has been set.